10-8-2009 Florida:
PALM BEACH COUNTY - Halloween is all about candy, costumes and trick-or-treating for kids. But sex offenders are being told to stay far away from the festivities.
The Department of Corrections has been sending out notices to offenders on probation throughout the state not to put up decorations, leave on porch lights, or even answer the door if there are children on the other side.
"Most sex offenders are opportunists," said Donald Monroe, the Department of Corrections' senior probation supervisor for Palm Beach County. "It only takes a second to molest these kids."
This is Fear-Mongering under the guise of authority! Clearly these state officers have not read Dr. Levenson's latest study showing that, over a 9-year period and millions of crimes, there have not been any crimes of the sort mentioned above, anywhere in the nation.
DOC officers will be doing surveillance at offenders' homes Halloween night. Officers urge parents to check the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's website to see where sex offenders and predators live. There are about 800 offenders between Palm Beach and Broward counties, records show.
Most sex offenders cannot live within at least 1,000 feet of schools, parks, or bus stops because they are not allowed to have contact or congregate with children. The Halloween instructions are an extension of that, Monroe said.
If offenders are found to violate the annual DOC's decoration orders, they could be arrested for violating probation, authorities said.
There have not been any cases in the state on Halloween in which sex offenders have harmed children, DOC spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said, so the measures are preventative.
"It's going to be probably uneventful," Monroe said. "Hopefully nothing will happen out there."
Parents said keeping the sex offenders behind doors is a good idea.
"Anything you can do to alleviate potential danger is excellent," said Lynne Kravitz, a west of Boca Raton mother of two trick-or-treaters.
She has checked the sex offender websites and knows none live in her neighborhood.
Judy Leone, also of west of Boca Raton, is planning to go out this Halloween with her three costumed children: a kitty cat, the Incredible Hulk, and a princess. Leone, who tracks sex offenders through a website, supports the DOC's efforts.
"They must be locked in their house," Leone said. "Don't let your kids trick or treat alone." ..Source.. by Jerome Burdi, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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